Super-hydrophilicity of hydroxy modified poly(m-phenylenediamine) aerogel for separation of oil/water and biocompatibility

We demonstrate the ultra-light weight and super-hydrophilic hydroxyl modified poly (m-phenylenediamine) (Hy-PmPD) aerogel by utilizing simple oxygen plasma treatment. The average pore size and specific surface area are obtained as 5.21 nm and 671 m² g^-1, respectively. Due to the large amount of oxygen-containing groups (e.g., C-OH and N-OH), the contact angle of Hy-PmPD for water is about 7.2, which indicates the super-hydrophilic ability of Hy-PmPD. The large surface area and super-hydrophilic nature of ultra- light weight Hy-PmPD aerogel conclusively certify that high absorption capacities and ultrafast absorption rate for water. As a result, the Hy-PmPD aerogel enables to separate crude oil and water. Additionally, the Hy-PmPD aerogel indicates good biocompatibility that can be implanted as the bio-platform for monitoring the cell culture behavior. This work may provide a facile and effective strategy for the applications in the absorption or removal of organics, particularly in environmental protection, pollution control, as well as noninvasive to the microflora.